Dr. Kenneth Black—teacher, author, and editor-- is considered one of the most influential voices in insurance of his generation.
Dedicated as a young man to the idea of building a major insurance education program, in 1953, Dr. Black chose a small, urban institution, Georgia State University, for his first academic appointment. He remained there and starting on the ground floor built one of the largest and most comprehensive risk management, insurance and actuarial science programs anywhere in the world. Then, serving as the college’s dean from 1969 to 1984, he built it into one of the U. S.’s top business schools.
As a result of Dr. Black’s efforts, countless students became aware of the role insurance plays in the well being of society. One measure of his success is the large number of Georgia State graduates who are now leaders in the business community.
Dr. Black made an extraordinary contribution to the education of consumers and insurance professionals through his books – which serve as classics on insurance in the industry. He was selected by Dr. Solomon S. Huebner as co-author to enhance his seminar textbooks, Property Insurance and Life Insurance, originally published in 1911 and 1915 respectively. He has written many other books, articles and essays and has served as the editor of the Journal of Financial Service Professionals for 41 years and as consulting editor of the Prentice-Hall Series in Risk, Insurance and Security.
Always an internationalist, Dr. Black forged ties over the years with scholars and insurance practitioners throughout the world. A strong proponent of international business education, he was successful in bringing people together from different nations. This resulted in the creation of the Georgia World Congress Institute, as well as the Georgia State Executive MBA program.
Dr. Black became president and chief executive officer the International Insurance Society upon the retirement of its founder in 1988 and remained in that post until 1992, serving with distinction. The industry established the C. V. Starr Chair of International Insurance at Georgia State University as well as the Kenneth Black, Jr. Chair in Insurance to recognize his pioneering role in insurance education and professionalism.
He has received many honors including the S. S. Huebner Gold Medal of the American College, The John Newton Russell Memorial Award, and the Distinguished Service Award of the Life Insurers conference. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Dr. Black earned his Ph.D. at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a Fellow of the Solomon S. Huebner Foundation for Insurance Education. He provided leadership as president of the American Risk and Insurance Association and many other professional, academic and business bodies.